Left of the Middle
by avesnovuelan
Summary: Complete Next in series that started with Never Enough (read that first) Post season 9, rated for some violence
1. Sweet Confetti

Here's the next installment in my CD title series, that started with "Never Enough." Read that first if you haven't already. To recap, the big 4 are on the run from pretty much everything. When we last met them, Mulder and Scully and narrowly made it to La Paz, and the Dogget/Reyes combo was headed for London. Whoop de doo.

Disclaimer: Only characters you don't recognize are mine, the rest belong to someone else, and all the songs are © Natalie Imbruglia. There, happy? I won't say it again.   
  
...

_"Sweet confetti out looking for a savior, finding it hard to break the chain, nothing ventured nothing gained."_ -From "Impressed" by Natalie Imbruglia.  
  
Reyes sat cross-legged on their couch in the common room, watching the BBC. Some British sitcom was on, and it was mildly entertaining. She and Doggett now lived on the upper floor of a flat owned by Mr. and Mrs. Doredly, whose oldest son had been a friend of Skinner's in college. As far as they knew, Doggett and Reyes were just friend's of their son's who needed a place to live in London. They paid rent and the Doredlys didn't ask questions. It worked out well.  
  
Their floor had one bedroom, a bathroom and a common room that had a couch, coffee table and TV at one end and a dining table, sink, mini-refrigerator, and microwave at the other end. The floor had a private entrance, and they were mostly content.  
  
Doggett walked in the room, wearing nothing but a towel with patches of shaving cream remaining under his chin. He crossed unnoticed by Reyes, who was becoming enthralled in her show. He walked right in front of her into the bedroom and dressed. His hair had grown out, with the red color remaining only on the very tips.  
  
Soon he joined her on the couch. Her show over, she flipped the TV off and turned to face him. "Didn't you have something you wanted to ask me earlier?"  
  
"Oh, right. I was actually just wondering...well...what are we doing? I mean, god and I had this all planned out in my head, why are we sticking together like this? We know we're safer if we split up, yet we haven't. And if we're going to be stuck together anyway...we're safe here, right? We've been here a few months now and Skinner promises that we're safe." She interrupted him. "Spit it out, John. What are you trying to ask me?  
  
"Do you think we should take our relationship to the next level?" He asked, not looking at her.  
  
"Yeah, I do. That's all you wanted to ask?"  
  
"Yeah, well, no, that's not quite it. I love you, Mon. You know that. And if we're going to be together anyway...why don't we...um..."  
  
She smiled. "Get married? Okay, why not. Let's go. Today. We can go down to the courthouse now, if you want."  
  
"Are you serious?" Doggett looked up at her, nearly falling off the couch.  
  
"Well yeah. We're practically married anyway. I mean, we live together, we love each other, we never have sex...sounds like most marriages I know of." This made him laugh. "Seriously, though, I think it would almost be easier to hide of we were married. I'll get my purse."  
  
He followed her out of their flat, shaking his head in disbelief.  
  
...

On the other side of the world, Mulder and Scully were living on a resort island in the Caribbean. They had lived with the elderly Bolivian couple for several months, until things cooled down a little. They were making plans to take a boat across the Atlantic to England. They knew that they'd probably have to stowaway, and they were prepared. For now, though, they were enjoying paradise.  
  
Scully was laying out on the beach, soaking up the late afternoon sun. She was falling asleep, and had just begun dreaming. In her dream she was watching William and his new family...happy, safe, loved, She slept peacefully, something she had been doing much more of lately. Suddenly, in her dream, it started raining, hard, pouring. The rain washed all over her, choking her.  
  
She woke up sputtering to a smiling Mulder who stood above her with an empty bucket, still dripping. "Good morning," he said playfully.  
  
"You little..." she sat up, wiping saltwater from her face. He extended a hand and helped her to her feet. Then, using a technique she had learned in a self-defense class, she slipped one foot between his and turned her body, causing him to fall over backwards. She landed on top of him, soaking his nice dry shirt.  
  
She kissed him teasingly, then buried her face in his chest as a wave splashed over them both. This time it was his turn to cough and sputter. They played in the sand and the water until long after dark when, exhausted, they would walk hand in hand back to their cabin.

...


	2. Nothing's fine I'm Torn

AN: This part could almost be rated R, so be warned. It gets a little intense

_

* * *

_

_"Nothing's fine I'm Torn, I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel, I'm cold and I'm ashamed lying naked on the floor."_ -From "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia

* * *

Doggett struggled to hide how nervous he was. He and Reyes had been living together for 6 months in several different locations, but they had yet to make their relationship a physical one. But now, without the constant impending danger, and with a little piece of paper making them legally belong to each other, the timing seemed perfect.  
  
Their bedroom had two beds, but they had long ago been pushed together. Reyes had been having nightmares and had more than once had to fall back asleep in Doggett's arms.  
  
John laid her down gently on the bed and hovered over her, kissing her lightly.  
  
_Brad shoved her onto the bed and sat on top of her, pinning her, kissing her cruelly._   
  
She stretched her hands above her head and he slid his hand up her arm, then he intertwined his fingers with hers.  
  
_She tried to fight him off, but he grabbed both wrists in his big hand and pinned them above her head._   
  
As the flashback began to surface, she whispered "Wait, John, stop." He didn't hear her.  
  
_As the panic rose in her gut, she cried out "Please, stop Brad, you're hurting me!" He ignored her._   
  
No longer remembering where she was or whom she was with, she cried out "Stop, please Stop!" John rolled off of her, confused, and watched as she curled into a fetal position away from him.  
  
_"Stop, please Stop! She screamed. He rolled off of her, then smacked her hard across the face with the back of his hand. She curled into a fetal position away from him, crying and covering her face. "Crying isn't going to stop me this time, B!tch." Brad stood and undressed himself, then pulled her back under him and proceeded with the assault. She cried the whole time, never looking at him. Afterwards, she lie naked, bruised and bleeding, on the bed, with dried tears encrusting her eyes. Brad dressed himself in silence and headed for the door. Before leaving her turned to look at her one last time. "Next time be ready for me." Then he left, slamming the door behind him.   
_  
"Monica? C'mon, Mon, talk to me. What's wrong?" Doggett knelt on the floor next to her, and gently brushed a stray hair from her face. Blinking, she looked up at him, wiping tears from her eyes. She had learned long ago that there was no use in trying not to cry. He reached for her and she allowed herself to be pulled off the bed and into his lap, where she sat with her head on his shoulder as they rocked back and forth. Doggett didn't understand what was wrong, but he knew he must have caused it. He knew she'd tell him soon enough.

* * *

Mulder and Scully were packing their bags, preparing to board the boat for England. It left at dawn, but they had to be there much earlier than that. They had planned this for weeks, spending much time at the docks watching how everything works. The boat they would be taking was a cargo ship carrying different foods and dry goods. They planned on going early when there were still few employees. They would bribe one of them to let them into a cargo crate and to watch out for them during the trip.  
  
"Mulder, what if no one there accepts our bribe? What if they do and then they turn us in?"  
  
"If no one accepts it, we'll try the next ship. And we'll only pay them half now, half when we get to England. Don't worry, Dana, it'll be okay."  
  
"I'm scared, Mulder," She confessed.  
  
"After nine years of chasing aliens and monsters, after coming within inches of death countless times, after all we've been through, now you're scared?"  
  
"Yes, I know it's silly, and I know we'll be fine, but still..." she trailed off.  
  
"I understand." He touched her cheek affectionately. Then they continued packing. 


	3. Won't be long before I Crush

_"Guess it won't amount to much, won't be long before I'll crush, I'll stand in line."_ -From "Pigeons and Crumbs" By Natalie Imbruglia

* * *

More than an hour later, Reyes was finally ready to talk. "I'm sorry, John, it's not your fault. I had a flashback. I used to have them all the time, but I haven't had one for a long time. This one kind of surprised me."  
  
"A flashback to what?" Doggett asked, afraid he already knew the answer.  
  
"Well, you see, I never really told you all of what happened between Brad and me. When we started going out, I wasn't attracted to him, I wanted to break up with him. We had only been going out for a week when one night he came to my dorm room, hoping to get in bed with me. I said no but he persisted, trying to force me. I started crying and screaming, waking my roommate. She scared him off, but a few nights later she went out to a party. He came over again and, well, he...he made me do things I didn't want to do..." She looked into Doggett's eyes. This time it was his turn to wipe tears away. "He raped me, John. I didn't tell anyone because for a long time I didn't believe it. I thought that it was okay because we had been dating."  
  
Doggett stood up, helping Reyes off of the floor. She perched on the end of the bed and he started pacing the room. "I'll kill him, the bstard. I'll kill him!"  
  
"Wait, John, there's more. And I don't want to say it, but you deserve to know. We're married now, which makes it your right to know." She reached out and grabbed his arm. He paused, turning to her. "I didn't break up with him. I should have, but then I learned that I was pregnant." Doggett did a double take. "No one knew but him, and he freaked out. He told me that this meant that I was his, that now he owned me. I was able to hide it, and he told me that I should keep it hidden until we could get married. But it never got that far. In my seventh month, we were fighting, as always, and he hit me. He beat me and threw things at me—I still have scars to show it—and finally he kicked me, hard, in the stomach. Then he realized what he had done and rushed me to the hospital. But it was too late. They cut the dead baby out of me...my daughter, he killed my daughter...and I almost died too." Reyes was crying again, hot, silent tears that just dripped down her face.  
  
"Jesus, Monica. Have you ever told anyone this?" He was sitting next to her again as she stared off into space.  
  
"Yes, once. A few years ago I was in a real depression, I wanted to kill myself. I called a crisis hotline and told the counselor everything. She wanted me to go to the police, but I didn't. And it didn't help to talk about it; it only made it worse.  
  
Doggett pulled her close for another round of tears.

* * *

The crate was half full of woven fabrics and clothes, made in the Caribbean and shipped to all parts of the world. The young man who spoke only limited English flipped the top off and gave Mulder a leg up into it. It was about 5 feet cubed, not even wide enough to lay down flat in. Once Mulder was in, the man helped Scully up to where Mulder could reach her. He threw their bags in with them and promised to bring them food and water. Then he put the lid back on. The top was loose enough to let air in, and Mulder and Scully curled down among the fabrics.  
  
Once the crate had been loaded onto the ship, the man came back. He placed a lower crate next to theirs to allow them to get in and out freely. He also showed them where they could find a bathroom that would be relatively unused by anyone else. They thanked the man and gave him what would be the first of several monetary payments.  
  
The man had promised that no one would come down there, except for once a week someone would come down and inspect the cargo for signs of water damage, insect problems, etc. He would try to warn them ahead of time, however, so that they could hide themselves adequately.  
  
The ship was large enough to keep them from getting seasick, but the first morning Scully was throwing up anyway. They figured it was from nerves. She drank some water and laid back down, and soon she was feeling better. 


	4. A joke that no one gets

_"I wish it made sense, like a joke that no one gets, It's a life without regret. I want it to feel that way, forever and ever."_ -From "Wishing I was There" by Natalie Imbruglia

* * *

Stress was definitely taking its toll on Scully. Her food didn't taste the same. She was throwing up in the mornings. Her monthly cycle was late. It was almost as if...but no, that's not possible. She couldn't be pregnant, could she? After her abduction the doctors had told her she would never have children, hadn't they? Of course there was William, but that was because they had found her eggs again. They had fertilized that one somehow.  
  
Still, was it possible? Perhaps not all of her eggs had been taken from her. That possibility had always haunted her. After all, she still menstruated. She just hadn't had a chance to get pregnant for a long time. But now...  
  
She sat, curled in a corner of their crate, pondering these things. They had been living on this ship for three days with no close calls. They had explored the cargo hold top to bottom and found many places they could potentially hide should need be. They were careful to clean up after themselves well, and they felt relatively safe.  
  
"A penny for your thoughts." Mulder climbed in the crate next to her, returning from the bathroom. "What's up?"  
  
"Oh, nothing." Scully didn't want to get his hopes up. "I'm just bored."  
  
"I could fix that for you." He gave her a playful look.  
  
Scully sighed. "Not again, Mulder. It's only been, what, three hours?"  
  
"But there's nothing better to do," he whined.  
  
"Tell me a story," she demanded.  
  
"What kind of story?"  
  
"Tell me a love story."  
  
"Okay. Once upon a time, there was a lowly peasant boy named...Wolf. He worked in the lowest part of the kingdom, all by himself. Nobody really paid attention to him. But soon he started telling stories about the royalty. This scared them, so they sent a beautiful young woman named...Diane. Her job was to seduce poor Wolf and get him to stop telling these horrible lies. The only problem was that they weren't lies, and soon Diane realized this. She had fallen in love with Wolf and he with her. But for a long time they hid their love. They worked together to fight against the evil royalty. This nearly cost both of them their lives. They saved each other countless times. Eventually they saw that their life pursuits were killing them. So they fled the kingdom, no longer caring about anything but each other. They stowed aboard a ship bound for a new land, hoping to escape their enemies. They lived happily ever after, even though they had to hide for the rest of their lives. One day aboard the ship Wolf told Diane a story. Then, in return, she told him what was bothering her. The End."  
  
Scully laughed. "That was a beautiful story. Except for the end, that is."  
  
"Are you insulting my fantasy?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You could make that fantasy come true, you know. Please talk to me."  
  
"It's probably nothing. You know that I haven't been feeling well lately, and now my period is late. I've been daydreaming...just wondering if..."  
  
"Oh. Wow. I see."

* * *

Reyes had to go to the store to pick up some things that were needed around their house. "I should be back in a few hours," she had told him.  
  
_'Perfect,'_ he thought. _'That will give me the time I need to get everything ready for tonight.'_ All he said was "Okay, I'll see you then."  
  
It had been three days since their wedding night, and he wanted to try again. He wanted to do something special for her. He decided he'd clean their flat, cook them a nice dinner, maybe even run her a bath or something.  
  
Dinner was not going to be easy. He had a limited grocery supply and nothing more than a microwave to cook with. He baked some potatoes in the microwave and mixed together a salad. He had gone to the store earlier that day and bought some wine and some candles. When everything was ready he waited by the door, prepared to stop her before she saw the apartment.  
  
"I'll take those for you," he said as she walked up the stairs. She had four bags worth of stuff. He took them and then said, "Wait here, I'll be right back."  
  
He put the stuff away quickly and then joined her in the hallway again. Making her cover her eyes, he led her by the hand into the apartment and sat her down by the table.  
  
"Okay, you can look."

* * *

Author's Note: For those of you who remember this story from thexfiles.com, I will be changing a few things in some upcomming chapters. I looked back and found some inconsistancies, etc, but nothing that should stop you from enjoying the story like you were before. 


	5. Real Life

_"Could've turned left, Could've turned right but I ended up here BANG in the middle of a real life."_ -From "Intuition" by Natalie Imbruglia

* * *

Reyes took a bite of her potato and smiled. It was still crunchy, just the way she liked it. The room was bathed in candlelight and smelt like incense. It really was very romantic, and she was rather impressed.  
  
"How's your food?" Doggett asked.  
  
"It's great. This is all so perfect, John. Thank-you." She slipped her bare foot up against his leg and rubbed up and down absentmindedly. He gave her a look and then continued eating.  
  
After a few awkward minutes, he asked, "Are you feeling any better?"  
  
"Yes, much, thanks to you. You've been so wonderful to me. I really appreciate it." She took a long sip of her wine and wiped her mouth with her thumb. Doggett had found a nice classical station that played nothing but music with no interruptions. "You know, I've been thinking. Nothing seems like it's changed." She fingered her wedding band, a gold ring with three diamonds buried in the top. "We're married now, and, just like I predicted, it's the same as it was before."  
  
"I don't plan on letting it stay that way for long." Doggett stood and cleared their plates. Then he reached for her hand. Helping her to her feet, he pressed his lips into the back of her hand gently. Then he picked her up and carried her to the bathroom, where a nice warm bubble bath awaited her. "This is all yours, unless you want to share it..." he said. She didn't answer, but reached to remove his shirt.

* * *

"You guys gotta hide, der be an inspection today, any minute!" Mulder and Scully's friend and protector raced over to their crate. "Quick, get under da rugs, I get let you out when it be over!" He pealed away a few layers of fabric and they curled together with their bags. Then he replaced the rugs and slid the cover on the crate.  
  
Struggling to keep their breathing even, they listened as their friend raced off. Scully silently prayed for him, that he wouldn't get caught and get in trouble.  
  
For what seemed like hours they laid there, all four hands intertwined between them, lying with their foreheads touching. It was pitch black and they were much warmer than they wanted to be. A voice could be heard outside the crate. "What happened here...has this box been opened?" The man was right outside. They heard the lid to their crate being removed and felt cool air slide in around the edges of the rugs they were under. "That's odd, it was unlatched. Make a note, ensign. Three demerits to whomever loaded this crate without latching it first." The lid was replaced, to their relief, and they allowed themselves to breathe again.  
  
Soon their friend, who had never told them his name, returned. He opened the crate and removed the rugs. He also had a plate full of leftovers for them to share. "I try to bring more food da next time...da lady be eating for two, no?"  
  
Scully gave him a confused look. "What makes you say that?"  
  
"I...know things. It be hard to explain in English. But I know who you be, and I don't be caring about that none. You pay good dinero, so I no tell anyone." The man winked at them, then turned around and hurried away.  
  
"What does he think he is, some sort of a psychic?" Scully asked as soon as the man was out of earshot. She dug hungrily at the food, trying to force herself not to eat more than her share.  
  
"It's okay, you can eat the whole thing. I still have some crackers leftover, and I'm not really hungry anyway. I don't know, but I think we can trust him."  
  
"I'm not so sure...call me paranoid but when someone tells me I'm pregnant when I'm not even sure yet and then claims he knows who I am when I have a past to hide I get a little scared."  
  
"I know what you mean. We'll just have to be careful."  
  
"Famous last words." 


	6. Long and Black

_"Somehow I lost myself in a tunnel long and black. Somewhere at the end I pretend there's a way of turning back."_ -From "One more Addiction" by Natalie Imbruglia.

* * *

The window was open, and the cool October air made Reyes shiver. Lost in a deep sleep, she unconsciously pulled a little closer to Doggett. He reached for the blanket that had somehow gotten crumpled in a heap at the foot of the bed. Sweat still clung to their skin, making them even colder. Reyes wore nothing but Doggett's shirt and her underwear. Doggett was in his boxers.  
  
Pulling the blanket over them both, Doggett thought about this woman that he had just shared his love with in every way possible. Here, sleeping with her head on his chest, her left arm thrown over his stomach and her left leg crossed over both of his, she looked so peaceful. Yet there was a certain vulnerability about her. In the tub she had shown him every scar Brad had ever caused her...12 in all, and he had kissed them passionately. The scars were mostly light and faded, only visible when she pointed them out, but he could tell that the scars ran much deeper than just her skin and the pain would probably never go away. There was the scar from her c- section, one on her back from a time he'd taken a belt to her, one from where they'd had to operate on a broken arm and a few she had inflicted on herself during her depression a few years ago...and some she didn't remember the story behind because he'd given her a few blows to the head. But the one that made Doggett maddest was on the back of her neck. There, usually hidden by her hair, were the initials B.F. He'd carved his initials onto her like a serial number on a Barbie Doll. She said she'd been unconscious at the time and hadn't felt a thing, but Doggett wondered if she told him that just to keep him from taking the first flight back to D.C, marching right up to that FBI building, and shooting Brad Follmer in the face. No, first the balls, then the face.  
  
That was exactly what he would do if he didn't stop thinking about it. So instead he thought about Reyes. No, Monica. She wasn't Reyes anymore, she was Monica Doggett. Of course they'd used their aliases on the marriage license, but in his head she was Monica Doggett. His Monica. He'd never done anything to deserve a woman who loved him as much as she did. She said she loved him more than anyone had ever been loved, and Doggett knew she did. They both did.

* * *

Scully knew she was pregnant now. Her period was more than three weeks late, and she felt the exact same way she'd felt with William.  
  
The next inspection took place early in the morning. This was a very bad thing for Scully, who usually threw up her entire breakfast and parts of the previous night's dinner. Sometimes her lunch would come up again in the afternoon. Mulder worried that she wasn't getting enough nutrition.  
  
As the inspector walked by their crate, she couldn't help it. He heard, and soon the top to the crate was off and the rugs on top of them were pulled back. All the inspector, who appeared to be British, said was, "I hope you're going to pay for those." 


	7. Left of the Middle

_"I'm pushing Zero, Where is my Hero? He's out there somewhere, left of the Middle."_ -From "Left of the Middle" by Natalie Imbruglia.

* * *

"Please let me explain..." Mulder started. He grasped Scully's hand protectively.  
  
"No, there's no need. I know who you are...your faces have been all over the Telly for months. The real question is what am I going to do with you? Some storms knocked out our radio, and we're expecting more storms soon. Come now, follow me. I'll take you to a room where you can stay for a while. My name's Captain Smithy."  
  
As Mulder helped her out of the crate, Scully threw up again.  
  
"On second thought, maybe I should take you to sick-bay. Our ship medic could take a look at you. Maybe he'll give you something for your stomach."  
  
"Why are you being so nice to us? We're wanted criminals, you know that," Scully said as she walked, leaning on Mulder for support.  
  
"Yes, but you're really more like celebrities. When was the last time you saw yourself on TV?"  
  
"It's been a few months," Mulder admitted.  
  
"The world loves you guys! Sure, you're wanted by the FBI, the CIA, the NSA...to name a few. But still, the general public thinks you guys are heroes. There's been tons of public debates. The fact that they never found the body of the man you supposedly killed leads many people to believe you're innocent. Lots of folks don't think you got a fair trial. The last NBC opinion poll had 89% of American's believing you're innocent. But the reward out for you would make most turn you in anyway. Lucky for you radios are down. Now, here we are at the medic's office, Do you want to stay with her Mr. Mulder?"  
  
"Yes, please."

* * *

"Let's do something fun today, John," Monica said as she set his breakfast on the table. He had finally fallen asleep around 3:00 AM, and had slept in until around noon when the smell of hot coffee woke him up. A coffeepot was one of the things she had purchased the previous day. An electric burner was another. She had used it to fry bacon and pancakes.  
  
John, still half-asleep, ate absentmindedly. He rubbed his shoulder.  
  
"What's wrong with your shoulder?" she asked.  
  
"I think I slept on it funny. Actually, you slept on it funny."  
  
"Oh, sorry. Let me fix that." Clearing her plate, she went and stood behind him. Her small hands worked his tense muscles.  
  
"When did you learn to do this?" he moaned.  
  
She shrugged. "I've always been a gifted masseuse. I used to charge my friends a dollar for a half-hour massage. I even thought about going to school for it."  
  
"What made you join the FBI instead? That's quite a...ooh, ouch...jump."  
  
"Sorry, I'll be more gentle. I really don't know. I guess I thought I could make a difference or something."  
  
"Believe me, you have. So, what do you want to do today?"  
  
Monica glanced down at herself. She was wearing the same clothes she'd worn the day before. Other than the two outfits she'd brought with from Canada, she had only a few other things she'd picked up here and there. "Let's go clothes shopping. You and I both need new wardrobes."  
  
"Oh, Mon, I don't know. Shopping? That's not very fun."  
  
"Sure it will be. I'll model for you." She bent down and kissed his ear, the massage complete.  
  
"Well...I suppose. But I need a shower first."  
  
"Yeah, me too..."  
  
He looked up at her, then without a word they walked hand in hand to the bathroom. 


	8. 15 minutes

_"Then another one always says, "She'd do anything to get ahead," she doesn't care if she has to scratch and claw to get in the door. She wants her 15 minutes of fame, and 20 would be nice."_ -From "Intuition" by Natalie Imbruglia.

* * *

"You have to try them on. If you don't try them on, how do you know they'll fit?" Reyes stood outside the dressing room with an armful of clothes for herself. Doggett's were still in the cart. She had picked out most of his clothes for him.  
  
He held one pair of pants up to his legs. "See? They fit. Now I only said I'd come because you promised you'd model for me. Hurry up."  
  
Reyes approached the counter. "How many?" the woman asked impatiently.  
  
"Um..." she counted, "Twelve."  
  
"The maximum allowed is six."  
  
Reyes counted out six items and shoved the rest at Doggett. "Hold these." She commanded. Then she entered the dressing room. The attendant winked at Doggett as he sat down in a nearby chair with a sigh.  
  
The first item was a red skirt with off-white flowers and an off-white blouse. Doggett nodded approvingly. She showed off several other tasteful outfits, only having to exchange one item for a different size. Doggett's favorites were a pair of gray khaki pants with lots of pockets and a dark blue T-shirt with a picture of a kitten on the front. They paid for their items and left the store.  
  
"How'd you like to model one more item for me?" Doggett asked teasingly as soon as they were back in their flat.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I picked this up while you were in the dressing room. Why is it that those things are always located next to women's underwear?" Out of the bag he pulled sexy black lingerie. A sheer fabric that extended down to her knees connected silk panties and a silk bra. Little heart-shaped buttons ran all the way down the back, and lace hearts trimmed the bottom.  
  
Reyes went into the bathroom to change. She only had to undo the top three buttons to slide the outfit over her slender hips, and she was able to button them again behind her neck with only minor difficulty.  
  
Then, with a deep breath, she stepped out of the bathroom.

* * *

"There's no doubt in my mind, Ms. Scully, You're pregnant." The ship medic, a scrawny middle-aged man with big teeth, helped Scully off of the examining table. "This test proves it." He spoke with a lisp, and Scully had to force herself not to crack up with every word he said.  
  
Someone was sent to bring them to their "room," which was actually a brig because it locked from the outside. There was a narrow cot and a low table. A few magazines were piled at one end. Some rations had been delivered, and Mulder and Scully ate in silence.  
  
"So...I'm pregnant, and I'm going to jail. Wonderful."  
  
"Try to think positive, Scully. He might not turn us in. He said so himself, were practically celebrities." They sat next to each other on the cot. "At least you're not the one with a death sentence hanging over your head. "  
  
"Yeah, but if they kill you they might as well kill me too. I doubt I could live without you again...I did it for months and it nearly killed me that time. To do it forever..." Scully couldn't finish because she was getting choked up.  
  
"Shh, its okay, come here." Mulder wrapped his arms around her small frame. He only now realized how thin she'd become. "Eat some more, please. You losing so much weight isn't good for our baby. Everything will work out, you'll see. I promise." He picked up the rest of her sandwich and brought up to her mouth. Exhausted, she let herself be fed like a child. Then she fell into a troubled sleep, Mulder's strong body the only thing keeping her from falling off the bed. 


	9. Hanging on to me

_"Rip tide we slide we ride on a deep forbidden sea. Under we go so slow and you're hanging onto me."_ -From "One More Addiction" by Natalie Imbruglia.

* * *

Doggett sucked his breath in sharply at the sight of her in the sexy lingerie he had picked out. She turned slowly, letting him see everything. She felt herself blushing...not that he hadn't already seen everything there was to see.  
  
A knock on the door prevented anything more from happening. Reyes rushed back into the bathroom to...hopefully...wait for this visitor to leave.  
  
"Good evening." The man said. A tall and muscular black man with scraggily and graying facial hair greeted Doggett.  
  
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Doggett reached for a kitchen knife that was sitting on the counter by the door.  
  
"I am an old friend of agents Mulder and Scully. You can call me...X."

* * *

The sound of a siren jerked Mulder out of a restless sleep. Scully woke as well, covering her ears with her hands. "What's going on?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know. Maybe it's some sort of drill."  
  
Their door opened suddenly, and a panicked and red-faced sailor screamed at them "Abandon ship! It's going down!"  
  
Remembering the storm that the captain had spoken about, Mulder grabbed Scully's hand and followed the man onto the upper deck. There they would wait as long as possible before getting into lifeboats because the large boat would fair better in the storm. The captain met them and guided them to a somewhat sheltered place. The rain fell so hard it stung, and the wind was blowing Scully's hair everywhere. She couldn't see a thing. A gust of wind almost blew her overboard, but their psychic friend, who had his back turned at the time, turned around and screamed to Mulder, who grabbed her just in time. Then they sat together, holding each other tightly. 


	10. Start Again

_"What you've got isn't all that you've been given. Changing your body like you change your jeans, nothing is ever as it seems."_ -From "Impressed" by Natalie Imbruglia.

* * *

The gigantic waves were becoming a problem. Mulder and Scully joined several other crew members and plastered themselves against the wall of the cabin.  
  
"Pst, Senor Mulder. Come 'ere." It was their friend from earlier, the one who had done his best to hide them below deck. Squinting against the blinding rain, they held hands as they followed the sound of his voice.

* * *

"Wait, your X? Agent Scully told me about you. She said you were dead."  
  
"For reasons that I cannot disclose at the moment my death had to be faked. The man who died was not me, but a terminal cancer patient whose family received a large sum of money for him to take my place. But that is not important right now. Agents Mulder and Scully are in danger. The are currently on a boat headed here, for England. Their boat has been shipwrecked, and the captain was planning on turning them in as soon as they reached land. The captain has been leading them on, making them believe that he might not turn them in. But this man is loyal to the syndicate, and would kill them before he'd ever let them go. He has caused them to believe that they are considered heroes by most of the world, something we all know not to be true. My contact on that boat will attempt to get them on a life-raft that will separate them from the others and take them safely to a dock where I will bring you now." X handed Doggett a piece of paper with the name of a privately owned dock along the southern coast of England. "You and agent Reyes must meet with Agents Mulder and Scully. You are no longer safe here. Take all your things with you.  
  
Reyes had been listening to Doggett and X talking through the bathroom door. She started to remove the lingerie so she could get dressed again and they could leave.

* * *

Mulder and Scully were introduced to the other men in the life raft. While their friend assured them that they were all on their side, the way a few of them looked at Scully made Mulder nervous. He pulled her a little closer to his side.  
  
"Do not be afraid, mis amigos. We taking you someplace safe...where your other friends commin' to get you."

* * *

_"Anybody headed in my direction, away from the City, Anybody want to change the way they feel, step inside. It doesn't really matter where you want to take me, away from the City. I want to start again, I want to start again, I want to take it back, I want to start again."_ –From 'City' by Natalie Imbruglia

End.

All songs available on the Album 'Left of the Middle' by Natalie Imbruglia.  
  
Look for the sequel, called 'No Name Face' coming soon!


End file.
